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Running head: VIOLENCE, PARATEXTS, AND FANDOMS

i

Violence, Paratexts, and Fandoms: The Walking Dead as a Societal Mirror

By

Jessica Lolli

B.A., Olivet Nazarene University, 2015

THESIS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the Degree of Master of Art

With a Major in Communication Studies

Governors State University

University Park, IL 60484

2017

VIOLENCE, PARATEXTS, AND FANDOMS

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Acknowledgements

I would like to start by thanking God for giving me the ability to complete this thesis by opening

my mind and heart to new ideas, expectations, and goals.

Thank you to Dr. Lara Stache for being there with every question I had and your patience. Thank

you for helping me put my vision into words and envisioning the final product when I could not.

Thank you to Dr. Jason Zingsheim and Dr. Deborah James for embarking on this journey with

me and having faith in one of my favorite projects.

A special thank you to my boss, Bree Breedlove, and supervisor, Chantal Breedlove, who

encourage me every day in my academic career and keep me focused on my goals. You are truly

family to me and I could not have stayed focused without your continued support.

And finally, a huge thank you to my family. Mom, Dad, Julianna, and Dominic, you all were

there to listen to me vent and stress and without your support and guidance, I would not have

been able to complete this project. I have been selfish and stressed during this process and all of

you have handled it by appreciating the effort I have put in and reminding me that it is okay to

take a break and recharge. Your support gave me the push I needed to give this project my best.

Thank you.


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Abstract

This project is a critical textual analysis of fan discourse surrounding the season seven premiere

of The Walking Dead “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” that aired on AMC on October

23rd, 2016. Focusing on paratexts, fandoms, and the violence/horror genre as the theoretical

framework, the project highlights fans role in the contemporary age of television and provides

insight into how much violence and gore is acceptable for fans of the genre. This project also

highlights how the premiere can be read as a societal mirror for violence’s representation in

society. The artifact to be analyzed is fan comments on Reddit and Twitter as those sites provided

a thread of posts in which fans engaged in dialogue with each other. In the analysis, examples from

the episode are used to provide context for the fan comments and to connect the feedback to the

episode itself. As a case study, this episode serves as a catalyst demonstrating that fans of the genre

have a boundary for acceptable violence and that the episode can be read as a mirror for violence’s

representation in society.

Keywords: violence, paratexts, fandoms, horror, The Walking Dead


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Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….…………….....1

What is TWD?..................................................................................................................................2

Understanding the Framework for TWD…………………………………………………...……...3

Paratexts…………...…………………………………………………………………...….5

Paratexts in media………….…………………………………………...………....6

Examples of paratexts…………....……………………………………...……..….8

Fandom.…………………………………………………………………………………...9

Fandoms as paratexts……………… ……………………...…….................…..10

Fandoms facilitate audience empowerment……………………………………...11

Violence/horror……………….……………………………………………………....….13

Film…………………………………..…………………………………………..13

Video games……….……………………………………………………………..15

Attraction to violence/horror……………………………………………………..16

Season 7 Premiere: Did TWD Go Too Far?……………….…………………………......…...….19

Episode 7.1 "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"..……………………….……..19

Fantasy or Reality? Violence Crossed the Line ……………………….……………..….21

Emotional attachment coupled with violence…………………………..……......25

Subsequent loss of viewers….……………………………………………...…....27

TWD's Participatory Fan Culture...………….………….………………………..…....…30

Producer/fan conversation…………… ……………………………….....…….30

Fan engagement with the premiere…………………………………………....…32

Final Thoughts…………………..…………………………………..……………………….…..34

Limitations and future directions……..……………………………………………….....35

Implications………………………………………………………………………….…...35

References………………………………………………………..………………………….…...37


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Violence, Paratexts, and Fandoms: The Walking Dead as a Societal Mirror

The third most popular television show of 2016, The Walking Dead (TWD), has

been popular amongst fans since its inception in 2010 (Klein, 2016). As Sandefur (2016)

discusses, TWD is the highest rated television series and has received many awards

because of its examination of political society. On October 23rd, 2016, a total of 17

million viewers tuned in for the season seven premiere making it the number one watched

television show for that night; it even surpassed Sunday Night Football (Rawden, 2016).

The particularly high number of viewers for the season seven premiere was partly

because season six ended with a cliffhanger of the main group facing the new villain,

Negan, who was about to choose which person he was going to execute with his barbed

wire bat, Lucille.

However, the initial ratings were not the only newsworthy aspect of the kick-off

episode for season seven, as the content caused conversation and debate among fans and

critics for weeks afterward. While TWD is not known for its lack of violence, evidenced

by the first episode when the main character, Rick, shoots a young girl-turned-zombie in

the head, six completed seasons later the most discussed aspect of the season seven

premiere among the audience was the amount of violence, which was curtailed by

producers after fan pushback (Millican, 2017). As the series is known for violence, what

was it about this particular episode, in relation to violence, that sparked such a negative

reaction from fans and resulted in producer action?

Moreover, the discussion among the fans and the resulting response from the

producers demonstrates that there is an ongoing conversation among fans and producers.

As Booth (2008) states, contemporary fans are using “ digital technology not only to


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create, to change, to appropriate, to poach, or to write, but also to share, to experience

together to become alive with the fan’s community” (p. 516). This shift expresses the

audience’s active role in media; specifically the blurring of the audience’s hand in media

consumption and production. Further, because of the amount of violence in the episode,

this premiere and surrounding conversation suggests that as an audience, we are not

desensitized to violence as some critics have argued (Anderson et al., 2010; Chittaro &

Sioni, 2012; Kennedy & Ceballo, 2016).

Therefore, in this project, I critically analyze the fan discourse around the season

seven premiere of TWD as a case study for understanding where audiences create

boundaries about the level of violence in a series that is known for violence and gore. The

research area for this project is the integrated communication between television and

other forms of media such as fan discussion boards and social media. Therefore, the

purpose of my thesis project is to explore why the violence of this episode led to

widespread communication among TWD community, to detail how the fans reacted to the

violence of the episode in dialogue with one another on social and popular media outlets,

and explain how fan reaction demonstrated that the level of violence was unacceptable

for viewers.

Because of the fan reaction and the surrounding discourse, and the resulting

discussion of potential changes in direction from the creators of the series, I argue that the

reaction to the season seven premiere of TWD suggests that the level of violence in the

kick-off episode was unacceptable for many long-time fans of the series, who expect the

show to be full of gore and violence, and serves as a mirror of violence’s representation


3

in society. Ultimately, I suggest that this mirror reflects the dangers that humans pose in

the world as the violence in the episode focused on human on human violence.

What is TWD?

To put TWD in context, it is important to understand the series as a whole. At this

point in the series, the main characters are Rick, Carl (his son), Judith (his daughter),

Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Sasha, Rosita, Darryl, Morgan, and Michonne. Rick,

Carl, Carol, Glenn, Darryl, and Morgan have been around since the very first season and

have grown close to each other and call themselves family. This is evidenced by not only

Rick and his kids but also, Maggie and Glenn are married and expecting a child while

others of the group are dating.

Over the course of the series, the main objective of the group is survival and

scavenging for supplies and food. Additionally, the group has battled zombies (the main

threat) and some villains such as the Governor in season three specifically for their

survival. While the series has shown villains throughout, season seven has a villain that

the group is especially terrified of: Negan along with his group he calls “The Saviors.”

He and his group made an appearance at the end of season six and season seven opens

with him threatening the main characters. It was at this point that the group realized the

dangerous position that they were in and were coming to the realization that not all of

them would make it out of the meeting with Negan alive.

Understanding the Framework for TWD

In order to fully investigate how this premiere demonstrated a level of violence

that was over the top for many viewers and how the controversy sparked conversation

among fans, which led to action by the producers, it is necessary to first review the


4

theoretical framework that helps to build the critical textual analysis. A critical textual

analysis consists of a description of the unit of analysis or theoretical framework that will

be used to analyze the artifact, the description of the artifact, and the resulting findings

(Foss, 1996). For the purposes of this project, the theoretical framework will pull from

scholars such as Paul Booth, Jonathan Gray, Henry Jenkins, and Carol Clover to provide

a lens for understanding how the fan reaction surrounding the episode will be analyzed in

relation to the violence of the episode.

The theoretical framework will illuminate the concepts and theories that are

intertwined with the method to provide the lens that will interpret this communication

phenomenon (Madison, 2012). Madison’s (2012) discussion regarding theory and method

demonstrate that critical analysis is useful for uncovering what is beneath the surface of

the text, to provide insight into power issues, and to inspire change in regards to a

communication phenomenon; in this case, the controversy sparked by the level of

violence in episode 7.1. The theoretical framework is the mode of interpretation for this

project consisting of a discussion of paratexts, fandoms, and the violence/horror genre.

From there, the analysis will provide a short synopsis of TWD episode 7.1 “The Day Will

Come When You Won’t Be” before using the theoretical framework to provide a critical

textual analysis of the artifact.

The primary artifact for this analysis is the surrounding fan discourse within a

seven-day span of the episode. The fan discourse from Reddit and Twitter regarding the

episode’s violence was chosen because those sites are where fans turned during and after

the episode to provide feedback in a discussion format with each other. These specific

sites were chosen because they contained fan discussion and dialogue in a thread of posts


5

showing fan interaction whereas other social media sites had individual videos or blog

posts. In addition, examples from the episode will be utilized to explain the fan discourse

and provide context to the comments. The theoretical framework of paratexts, fandoms,

and the violence/horror genre will provide a roadmap for the critical textual analysis of

the fan discourse surrounding the episode.

Therefore, in the remainder of this section, I outline the theoretical lens by

detailing existing scholarship about paratexts, fandoms, including the audience’s role

within fandoms, and the violence and horror genre with the goal to illuminate the

framework for analyzing the fan reaction surrounding the episode and provide an

overview of the conversation surrounding paratexts, fandoms, and violence.

Paratexts

To start, it is necessary to understand what paratexts are, their function in media,

and some examples of them. Paratexts surround and position the primary text to promote,

explain, and guide the viewers’ understanding of the text (Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth,

2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette & Maclean, 1991). For TWD,

an example of one of its paratexts is The Talking Dead (TTD) where host Chris Hardwick

brings actors or producers from the series on to talk about the previous episode with an

audience of fans. Therefore, the context creates the paratext (Gray, 2003; Genette &

Maclean, 2001). Depending on the medium, the paratext can vary; for example, the

preface of a book is one of the book’s paratexts (Genette & Maclean, 1991). Genette and

Maclean (1991) and Gray (2003) discuss that while a text always has a paratext, a

paratext can exist without a text. Gray (2010) discusses that commentary or dialogue

about a film or television series that ended and has since been forgotten or commentary


6

regarding something that may become a film or television show is an example of this.

Another example is Girl Meets World. This is a show that was talked about after the

ending of the popular show Boy Meets World and after discussion about it, it became its

own show. In this situation, the paratext helps to facilitate the creation of the primary

text.

Paratexts’ purpose is to be secondary to its primary text and is always devoted to

the primary text as demonstrated through its relationship to the audience or public (Birke

& Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette &

Maclean, 1991). For example, TTD is a show that only discusses TWD with a live

audience and engages the audience in the conversation. In order to further understand the

paratext’s purpose, it is necessary to understand its functions.

Birke and Christ (2013) label the three main functions of paratexts: interpretive,

commercial, and navigational. In the interpretive function, paratexts provide a way to

understand and give meaning to the primary text in order for the viewer to interpret the

text (Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010;

Genette & Maclean, 1991). In TWD, an example of the interpretive function is TTD as its

purpose is to dissect the previous episode with fans and guest stars.

In the commercial function, the paratexts offer a way for the text to be advertised

or promoted (Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray,

2010; Genette & Maclean, 1991). For TWD, an example would be some of the associated

apps including: The Walking Dead No Man’s Land, The Walking Dead: Dead Yourself,

or Walking Dead: Road to Survival. These apps are used to promote the show by having

fans play them in between episodes or seasons.


7

In the navigational function, paratexts map the primary text to help the audience

approach and orient themselves within the text (Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015;

Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette & Maclean, 1991). For example, the

apps that TWD has help fans envision what it is like to live in an apocalypse as the apps

either have them try to survive the apocalypse or change their appearance to be that of a

“walker” (zombies in TWD). These functions highlight what paratexts do, the purpose of

paratexts, and the relationship of paratexts to the text.

Paratexts and media. With the application of paratexts’ functions, how do

paratexts fit within media? As discussed, the paratexts offer an explicit connection to the

primary text and allow the audience to move between the paratexts and the primary text

(Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth, 2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette

& Maclean, 1991). A clear example for TWD is the show TTD that comes on right after a

new episode, and helps the audience move between this show and TWD by dissecting the

previous episode, highlighting key aspects in the episode, and pulling fan comments from

Twitter, Instagram, and other media outlets. This is a live show that has fans as audience

members and invites one fan up to ask a question to any of the guest stars (usually at least

one guest star is an actor or a producer from the show). The show allows for fans to have

a voice because they are able to engage in a dialogue with the stars.

Specifically for media, there are three concepts that help to reinforce paratexts’

functions: how the paratext materializes, what its boundaries are, and its authorization

(Birke & Christ, 2013). These three concepts from Birke and Christ (2013) can be

applied to other forms of media such as television. The way the paratext materializes

means that it cannot be separated from the primary text itself as it enhances it or is part of


8

it, whether television, books, or social media (Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015;

Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette & Maclean, 1991). The paratexts’

boundaries consist of whether or not it exists within the text (for example, preface of a

book), outside of the text (for example, interviews), or both (the combination of the book

and the interview); regardless of which, the paratexts inform us about the text itself

(Birke & Christ, 2013; Booth; 2015; Cavalcante, 2013; Gray, 2003; Gray, 2010; Genette

& Maclean, 1991).

The paratexts’ authorization, the third concept that Birke and Christ (2013)

discuss, becomes more muddled. While the primary text is authorized by the author or

producer him/herself and directs the audience where to look, the audience may authorize

and create paratexts especially when considering media audiences (Booth, 2013; Gray,

2010). Fan fiction and fan sites dedicated to the primary text, such as TWD, are examples

of when the paratext is authorized by the audience. In contrast, TTD is a paratext that is

authorized by the producers of TWD. To further understand paratexts purpose and

functions, it is necessary to look more broadly at examples of paratexts.

Examples of paratexts. To start, one example of paratexts in relation to media is

board games. Booth (2015) discusses board games as paratexts based on movies or

television shows. He discusses how TWD and The Hunger Games board games

encourage participatory fan culture because they promote interaction among the fans

outside of the text itself. When fans play these games, they are going beyond the show,

but are still participating in fan culture surrounding that film or television show (Booth,

2015). This highlights that fan culture goes beyond just watching the television show, to

also participate in the surrounding paratexts.


9

Gray (2010) also discusses how fans’ use of paratexts engages in participatory

culture. He talks about audience created paratexts that emerge through audience’s

interaction with the text. One of the biggest audience created paratexts that Gray (2010)

discusses is spoilers. These can be created from audiences’ predictions of what will

happen next in the show, or if some fans watch the show before others (Gray, 2010).

Further, because of the rise of spoilers in media, producers have been using the utmost

secrecy when filming upcoming seasons to demonstrate their control of the information

of the film (Gray, 2010).

Moreover, fans can take a topic that interests them and use it as a vehicle to not

only show adoration and appreciation for it, but also to move it from mass culture to

popular culture and potentially create fan fiction, another form of paratexts (Jenkins,

1988; Jenkins, 2006). This gives fans more freedom and opportunity to become excited

about their conversations with other fans. There are fans who wrote about the episode 7.1

from Glenn’s point of view and changed it so that both Glenn and Abraham (the two

characters executed in the premiere) survived while Maggie, Glenn’s wife, and Darryl

were the ones to be executed (SSTB, 2016). SSTB (2016) said in the description of the

fan fiction, that Glenn and Abraham were his/her two favorite characters and that seeing

them executed was heartbreaking, so s/he wanted to write an alternative result. This

paratext demonstrates that fans form connections with the characters outside of the

primary narrative.

However, this connection can create strong emotions that fans have with the text

itself (Jenkins, 1988; Jenkins, 2006; Booth, 2013). This creates fandoms that are very

much self-aware and funnel these emotions into their conversations on social media


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(Booth, 2013). These conversations are outlets for fans to discuss a topic that they are

both interested in and express their emotions with each other about what happened in the

primary text. These conversations happen on social media sites such as Reddit.

Therefore, fandoms move beyond just adoration of the show or film, as in the past, and

highlight that contemporary fans also have an emotional connection with the characters

(Williams, 2011). To delve further into fan created paratexts, it is necessary to understand

the role of fandoms as paratexts.

Fandom

Fan communities that consist of an affinity for a certain topic, series, book, etc are

fandoms (Jenkins, 2002; Jenkins, 2006). Specifically, for series, these fan communities

create fandoms where fans can discuss the series and can comingle their own experiences

with the storyline of the series and sometimes with a specific character (Jenkins, 1988;

Jenkins, 2002; Jenkins, 2006; Williams, 2011). When fans apply their own knowledge

and experience to the series, it maintains their own opinions of those characters that they

connect with creating strong emotions and attachments to the characters (Williams,

2011).

Even with these emotions, fans are encouraged to share their own opinions and

ideas while respecting the creators (Jenkins, 1988; Jenkins, 2006). The fandom’s

ideology is to respect the creator’s work and fans practice this respect by keeping to the

text’s originality while also being free to question the accuracy of that text; they are able

to discuss and engage in a conversation with each other to expand beyond the film or

show while maintaining respect for the work of the original creators (Jenkins, 1988;

Jenkins, 2006). This conversation can be found on social media platforms such as Reddit


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and Twitter (Jenkins, 2002; Jenkins, 2006). Therefore, it is necessary to understand how

fandoms function as paratexts.

Fandoms as paratexts. Fandoms go beyond engaging with producer created fan

content (board games, advertisements, etc.) or sharing of leaked information (spoilers)

because fans utilize and create paratexts, such as the fan fiction discuss previously, or

start social media threads to talk about the series such as Reddit. Fans create fandoms to

critique and discuss their own ideas and reactions to certain forms of media and create a

bond with others interested in the same topic; thus, engaging in participatory culture

(Booth, 2013; Buschow, Schneider, & Ueberheide, 2014; Gray, 2003; Jenkins, 2006;

Williams, 2011).

As Jenkins (2014) discusses, fan participation is a “shared engagement with

technologies, content and producers” (p. 283). Fans use technology to engage with the

fandoms more frequently than face to face (for example at Comic-con) and show not only

their opinions, but also to express any anger or frustration they may have with the series

while discussing with other fans; this “convergence” comes not only between genres and

audiences but also through industries and technologies (Jenkins, 1988; Jenkins, 2004).

Audiences are able to use technology to express their opinions and views about the

content of their topic and engage in a conversation with other fans and producers; fans do

this on social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook. Further, it is

expected for fans of a particular genre to have a breadth of knowledge regarding the topic

and use fandoms to facilitate the conversation (Gray, 2003). As Jenkins (1988) so

eloquently stated, “to enter fandom is to escape from the mundane to the marvelous” (p.

474; see also Jenkins, 2006).


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As technology and media have grown, fans have been able to use the internet to

create, interact, and respond to other fans and media; this shift helps to influence fans’

and fandoms’ sense of self (Booth, 2008; Booth, 2013). Online fandoms facilitate a way

for fans to interact and generate meaning from the texts they watch through the

conversations that they have (Booth, 2008; Booth, 2013; Gray, 2003). Specifically, media

fans are those who experience a wealth of knowledge about the text and feel a strong

emotional attachment to it from the surrounding paratexts and the participatory fan

culture (Booth, 2013; Gray, 2010)

Fandoms facilitate audience empowerment. Through fandoms and technology,

audiences become empowered (Jenkins, 1988; Jenkins, 2006; Jenkins, 2004; Turow &

Draper, 2014). They are able to use their voices through fandoms to challenge power

dynamics in mass media and create support for changes to create a better society

(Jenkins, 2006). Through this, “consumption becomes production; reading becomes

writing; spectator culture becomes participatory culture” (Jenkins, 1988, p. 490). The text

can move beyond just the producers to fans whom, through fandoms, are empowered to

speak freely and expressively about the text online (Jenkins, 1988; Jenkins, 2006;

Jenkins, 2004; Turow & Draper, 2014). Thus, moving beyond the text itself.

While this may highlight audience empowerment in media, the producers also

maintain their right to have ownership of the text through clearly regulating what they

believe the text to mean or what they want the audiences to experience (Jenkins, 2006).

Turow and Draper (2014) point out that it is not the fans or people who have power to

influence or shape media, but it is the media companies who encourage audiences and

fans to think that they do have a voice in shaping media. This demonstrates the lack of


13

respect that some companies have for audiences and fans because they manipulate their

belief of their level of power in shaping and potentially controlling media (Turow &

Draper, 2014). For example, Turow and Draper (2014) talk about how the “media-buying

business” fundamentally has a lack of respect for audience empowerment (p. 650).

With that said, there are media companies who are trying to expand their markets

to embrace fan empowerment and promote collaboration between companies and fans

instead of just making those fans think that they have a stake in shaping media (Jenkins,

2004; Turow & Draper, 2014). For example, digital technologies such as social media

outlets like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook allow fans to reach more people and provide

feedback. Fans want to be able to exercise their power to control the flow of media and

become more active in what is being shown to them (Jenkins, 2004; Nikunen, 2007;

Maris, 2016). Fans want to be able to actively have a hand in shaping the media (Jenkins,

2004; Nikunen, 2007; Maris, 2016).

Jenkins (2004) talks about how the relationship between producers and fans can

either be beneficial or detrimental in the long run. Some companies and producers want

to create enhanced and helpful relationships by encouraging fans to promote change and

engage in dialogue while others do not feel comfortable promoting those relationships

and or fan participation (Jenkins, 2004; Maris, 2016). For example, Jenkins (2004) talks

about game companies, such as Nintendo, who have built relationships around fan

communities who have created their own ideas and products and work to keep those

communities running. On the other hand, there are companies who what to shut down fan

websites, such as Warner Brothers in regards to Harry Potter, because they want to assert

their rights to the franchise (Jenkins, 2004). With this dialogue and expectations from


14

fans and producers, the role of the audience in media has been changing and growing

with the help of fandoms.

Specifically, the violence/horror genre has a particularly devoted fan base that is

attracted to it simply for its violence or horror. In order to understand the role that

violence/horror plays in media and in relation to paratexts, specifically fandoms, it is

necessary to review key aspects about violence/horror genre. This will expand the

theoretical framework for the fan discourse surrounding TWD’s season seven premiere.

To do so, a shift from paratexts and fandoms to a discussion of the violence/horror genre

is important to understand its role and why viewers are attracted to it.

Violence/Horror

The violence/horror genre is known for its ability to thrill and scare its viewers

and this is partly why it is attractive to audiences (Clover 1992; Keisner, 2008).

However, one of the main aspects of violence/horror is its predictability (Keisner, 2008).

In order to fully understand and explore the violence/horror genre, it is necessary to look

at the existing scholarship, which currently focuses primarily on these two areas: film and

media. From there, a better understanding of why viewers are attracted to this genre

becomes clear.

Film. Generally, the postmodern horror genre in film typically consists of a killer

or monster chasing after a group of people and can be referred to as a slasher film

(Clover, 1992; Keisner, 2008; Kocurek, 2015). Further, the violence and horror found in

films tends to be culturally framed around a focus on gender, race, and class; thus,

working as a mirror to represent the society that we live in (Kocurek, 2015). For example,

gender is culturally framed in horror films when the girl who survives, also called “the


15

final girl,” stereotypically represents what is expected of women in society (Clover,

1992). Because the final girl in films was almost always a virgin, the representation of

her suggests that women should remain celibate until marriage and should not engage in

premarital sex; and, if they do, they deserve to die (Clover, 1992; de Villiers, 2011;

Keisner, 2008). While this is a common theme of most horror films and can work as a

mirror into society, by reflecting expectations about gender, race, and social status, there

are other commonalities that exist among them.

According to Keisner (2008), there are four principles that define postmodern

horror that will help to understand how the genre works as a mirror into society. The first

principle discusses the killer and states that he/she is normally someone who challenges

or disrupts the current social order of the group of victims (Keisner, 2008). The second

principle states that the line between good and evil is not always clear and can sway

between the two (Keisner, 2008). Even further, the third principle explains the level of

someone’s adaptability in the role of the victim; thus determining if they will be able to

survive and if so, they may have a more difficult time than the others (Keisner, 2008).

The fourth and final principle of postmodern horror expresses that there is not any clear

and distinct closure (Keisner, 2008). Keisner (2008) uses the example that the killer rises

from the dead at the end of the movie leaving the audience to wonder when s/he will

strike again and who will be the next victims. The ending of season six of TWD is a clear

example of this. The audience was left to spend the next nine months wondering who

would be executed at Negan’s hand and how bad it was going to get.

Video games. Understanding how violence works in films gives insight into its

role in that medium. However, there are also video games that many of the viewers of


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TWD may have grown up around as the key demographic is 18-49 year olds (Rawden,

2016). Some scholars argue that people who grew up playing violent video games do not

react as harshly to seeing violence in other mediums as they have become used to

viewing it (Rothmund, Gollwitzer, Bender, & Klimmt, 2015). This is not to say that the

violence they are exposed to does not affect them because it can affect their relationships

and levels of trust with others (Rothmund et al., 2015). However, it does demonstrate that

individuals who have played video games are less likely to react to violence in other

mediums such as television and film (Rothmund et al., 2015). This can be said for TWD

as well as Bricken (2016) points out that the series has never been classified as a happy

show but recognizes that the show is supposed to be violent. He brings up an episode in

season three in which Maggie has to perform a C-section on Lori and then Lori’s son,

Carl, has to shoot her in the head so that she does not turn into a zombie and recognizes

that fans were okay with that because it fit the narrative of the series.

While TWD has operated from that frame from the beginning, violence in other

mediums such as video games has as well. For example, violence in video games is

created based on cultural narratives, such as race, class, and gender, and doing so allows

for the violence to be more acceptable among players; because it is based on a cultural

narrative, most players are familiar with this set up (Kocurek, 2015). For example,

Kocurek (2015) discusses how zombies are used as a metaphor for class disputes and as

being the equivalent of social outcasts where they are dehumanized through the color of

their blood in the games (normally green or black). She explains that the cultural

framework and dehumanization of the monsters in the games is reflexive of what is

happening in society with marginalized groups and reinforces cultural and societal


17

violence. Because of this, it would make sense that players continue to play without

realizing the harmful effects that it can have on their own relationships and experiences

(Kocurek, 2015; Rothmund et al., 2015). This is also supported by studies by Rothmund

et al. (2015) and Kennedy and Ceballo (2016) who explain that long-term exposure to

violent video games can cause physical aggression in social interactions.

With the normalization of violence in video games, it is important to also look at

how this has been argued to create violence desensitization when exposed to media

violence. When individuals are exposed to violent video games over a long period of

time, they become desensitized to violence and tend to be more aggressive in social

interactions (Anderson et al., 2010; Chittaro & Sioni, 2012; Kennedy & Ceballo, 2016).

Further, when exposed to physical violence, especially when showing blood or a pained

expression, individuals are desensitized to responding in real life situations when a victim

is experiencing this type of violence (Anderson et al., 2010). Individuals can also become

more aggressive but not have a strong reaction to violent images in video games or other

media (Chittaro & Sioni, 2012). Moreover, systemic desensitization theories propose that

when consistently exposed to violent or gory scenes in media, viewers have lower

emotional responses to seeing other victims of violence in different mediums beyond the

video game (Anderson et al., 2010). Even so, people are still attracted to violence and

horror and it is necessary to understand why.

Attraction to violence/horror. In order to shift to why audiences are attracted to

the genre, it is necessary to review a few key aspects. One of the biggest reasons why the

violence and horror genre attracts audiences is its ability to thrill and scare viewers even

though repetition is a characteristic of the genre (de Villiers, 2011; Keisner, 2008). As


18

Carol Clover (1987) explains, the horror genre entices audiences because of the

experience it provides; its sole purpose is “to horrify and stimulate” creating an

experience of fear that the audience can identify with (p. 189). It is its repetition that

gives the viewers a layout of what to expect specifically in terms of how the killer and

victims operate while still maintaining the thrill (Clover, 1992; de Villiers, 2011). As

Keisner (2008) states, “horror films offer an instant thrill ride of terror” (p. 414). This

ride, although fictional, shocks the audience, causing an emotional or physical response

such as an increased heart rate, flight or fight instinct, and anxiety that is very much real

(de Villiers, 2011; Keisner, 2008).

Therefore, the genre pushes the boundaries of reality; thus challenging our

perception of reality (de Villiers, 2011; Keisner, 2008). The genre pushes viewers to

examine what they believe to be real and not real and potentially to expand those

boundaries. This pushing of boundaries occurs through direct address, which brings the

audience’s attention to who is holding the camera, making the narrative appear to be

based on true events. Doing so is the filmmakers attempt to persuade the audience that it

is real and not fantasy by making it look as if they were experiencing it (de Villiers, 2011;

Keisner, 2008). One of the more recent examples of this is Paranormal Activity in which

the camera is held from the character’s point of view or as security cameras. TWD does

not utilize this filming technique, however, it does utilize the theme of having a

supernatural element, zombies, throughout the series.

Just as in TWD, the horror genre tends to have a supernatural element or a

monster in it that goes beyond reality allowing the viewers the opportunity to push

beyond their own version of reality to consider a reality that goes outside the natural


19

world (Keisner, 2008). That supernatural element or monster is there to represent the

unethical side of society because it tends to give in to unacceptable conventions or desires

(Keisner, 2008). For TWD, that would be the zombies. The viewers accept this reality for

the duration of the film or show but afterwards, it encourages them to push their own

boundaries and limits of reality once it is over. For example, Keisner (2008) discusses

that this is common in children who are exposed to the genre as they are not able to move

past the emotional response and see reality clearly; cognitively, it is harder to apply logic

and reason to what reality is in comparison to the violent or horrific film. For adults,

when exposed to more violence growing up, it becomes their reality and, because they are

exposed to violence for so long, they do not react as harshly as others who were not

exposed to the same amount of violence (Keisner, 2008; Kennedy & Ceballo, 2016).

While the genre pushes the viewers to question their own grasp on what reality is,

there is also a theory that suggests that it creates an opportunity for viewers to experience

death without actually dying; horror promises pain and evokes a desire to experience it

(Clover, 1992; Keisner, 2008). Viewers are able to enjoy the film or show and

experience the punishment or death without actually living through it (Keisner, 2008).

When the experience of death is coupled with the blurred reality and the emotional

response, audiences are able to experience rage and anger without consequences (Clover,

1992; Keisner, 2008).

The violence coupled with the emotional response ties into the idea of real and

fantasy. Audiences are able to experience rage, anger, and death without the real

consequences as discussed above. Also, when the audience feels connected to the

characters, it makes it that much harder to separate the fantasy of the show with reality


20

(de Villiers, 2011; Keisner, 2008). As with TWD, fans feel connected to characters that

have been around since the beginning such as Rick, Carl, and Glenn. As I will discuss in

the following analysis, when a character that has been around for so long dies, especially

in a violent way, it is difficult for audience members to watch it happen. And, the

resulting discourse as the audience attempts to come to terms with the loss creates an

interesting case study for understanding how boundaries of acceptable violence are

created.

Season 7 Premiere: Did TWD Go Too Far?

Through the critical framework of paratexts, fandoms, and violence, the following

analysis of TWD’s surrounding fan commentary after episode 7.1 “The Day Will Come

When You Won’t Be” provides insight into where the audience stands with violence in

the media and how this episode works as a mirror of violence’s representation in society.

Therefore, the purpose of studying the reaction to one specific episode in a seven season

series is to investigate how TWD, a show known for its violence, led to widespread

communication among fans regarding the violence. The season seven premiere can be

utilized as a representative case study to analyze how the audience, using social and

popular media outlets, demonstrates their reaction to the violence and how this episode

and the surrounding fan reaction suggests that there are boundaries when it comes to

violence more broadly. Understanding the episode along with a critical analysis of the fan

commentary on Reddit and Twitter gathered within a seven-day span of the episode,

allows this event to serve as a mirror for understanding violence’s representation in

society.

Episode 7.1 “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”


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Episode 7.1 “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” opens with Negan, the

new villain, staring into Rick’s eyes after he has just executed two of Rick’s friends with

his barbed wire bat, Lucille, dripping with blood and brains. Season six ended just before

Negan chose who he was going to execute and this premiere has started after the

executions have been made to prolong the suspense of who is chosen. Negan then takes

only Rick and Rick’s RV to a separate location away from the rest of the group and

throws Rick to the walkers without a weapon. When Rick makes it to safety, he flashes

back to just a few moments before when Negan executed both Abraham and Glenn. Now

about five minutes into the episode, fans find out whom Negan chooses to execute. His

first choice is Abraham and he takes Lucille and beats him on his head continuously

while blood splatters on the other characters until nothing but brains and blood is left.

Darryl retaliates and charges Negan and Negan decides to teach Darryl, and the rest of

the group, a lesson by bashing in Glenn’s head, to the point where his eye is bulging out

of his skull, using Lucille in the same manner he did Abraham.

After Rick’s flashbacks, Negan and Rick return to the group who are still

mourning their losses, and Negan tries to make Rick chop his son’s, Carl’s, arm off as a

test to see how far Rick will go under his control. Negan tells Rick that if he does not

chop off Carl’s arm, he will have all of Rick’s other group members executed at gun

point. However, because this was test to see how much control Negan has over Rick,

Negan decides to stop Rick just before Rick completes the task and then demonstrates to

the group that they now answer to him by scavenging for him and his group, The Saviors

(dubbed The Saviors because they claim to save people from walkers by killing the

walkers). After all of this, Negan finally leaves the group because he has proven his point


22

that he has control over them and expects that they now owe him for being their Savior in

regards to him saving them from the walkers. After Negan leaves, the group mourns and

finally takes Abraham and Glenn’s mangled bodies and leaves with Negan’s threatening

demeanor leering over them.

As a catalyst, this episode, although widely watched, may have kick started the

subsequent loss of many loyal, longtime viewers, where the season seven finale was the

lowest watched episode since season two (Colon, 2016; Fowler, 2017). Further, the fans

of TWD expect gore and violence but this particular episode, according to the fan

conversation, took violence to another level and left many fans questioning the

producers’ motives. What the fans’ commentary surrounding the episode suggests is that

there are certain levels of acceptable violence, and when violated, fans reject the

real/fantasy boundaries created by producers. To understand the fan discourse, the

following analysis focuses on a discussion of fan commentary demonstrating that the

violence was unacceptable for fans, TWD’s participatory fan culture, and producer/fan

discourse.

Fantasy or Reality? Violence Crossed the Line

While TWD has not been shy with gore and violence since its inception, this

particular episode led to widespread communication among fans. Fans were commenting

on Reddit and Twitter about the horror being too much and over the top. Reddit fan

purplepanda5 (2016) comments on the horror by explaining that in the past, the walkers

were the biggest problem in the post-apocalyptic world but because of the violence and

horror of the episode, the walker’s role was forgotten: “it was kinda a halting moment for

me – like, oh that’s right. The walkers were technically the main threat of this new world.


23

But all of that was forgotten given the horror of this episode.”1 For this fan, it is one thing

to see violence from or against a walker because that character is no longer a person, but

this episode placed walkers as an afterthought.

Instead, the violence came from Negan, one of the human characters, who was

inflicting pain and fear on the main characters with his barbed wire bat. This scene

highlights a shifting focus in TWD from the threat of the walkers to the threat of other

surviving humans. While this is not entirely new for TWD, the shift lies in the main

characters being the hunted versus the hunters. In the past, the main characters only killed

other humans if it was for survival. This is unlike Negan, who kills to prove his

dominance and teach lessons to other human survivors.

Because of the violence coming from another human, it is important to note how

this can serve as a societal mirror. Based on Kocurek’s (2015) study of video games,

which explains how horror and violence in the games is culturally framed, such as class,

race, gender, and climate change narratives, this begs the question, is this the case for

TWD and, if so, was episode 7.1 mirroring society’s current narratives about what

humans represent in society? Many fans comments can be read as a reflection on this

topic. For example, commenter pkosuda (2016) posts on Reddit:

With the whole "humans are the real monsters" theme that TWD has had going, I

took it as representing the walkers as what picks up the remains of what the people

in that world do to each other. Basically, the people do the real damage. The

"walkers" are just there to clean up what's left.

Negan represents the monsters that humans have become in this world and when

1 All message board posts are listed verbatim.


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the walkers come up to Rick’s group after Negan leaves, Rick’s group pays them no mind

and the walkers just eat up the leftover blood from Glenn and Abraham. The walkers

used to be the biggest problem that the group had to face but now, it seems that Rick

would rather deal with them instead of Negan. Dydegu (2016) on Reddit discusses “Like,

he'd prefer to be surrounded by walkers than have to deal with Negan. But he doesn't

even have that luxury anymore. Dealing with walkers was one thing, but now Rick and

company are trapped in something far worse.” This furthers the idea that now the humans

are the problem; they are the monsters that Rick and the group must face. In the past it

was about survival and killing whomever you needed to in order to keep your family

alive whether it was walkers or humans. Additionally, in past episodes, Rick and his

group have always escaped when being faced with execution from other humans.

However, in this particular episode, it is the shocking violence that the main characters

cannot escape from humans against humans, that is particularly jarring for fans. This is

part of the societal mirror that this episode reflects. It is showing that humans are now the

real danger and walkers are not.

With this horror now shifting to humans inflicting the violence on other humans

versus the walkers being the primary threat, fan reaction continued, arguing that it was

too hard to watch and even when they thought that they were numb to horror and

violence, they were still struggling to get through the episode. For example, Twitter user

J. Clark Allison (2016) comments, “@TheWalkingDead Episode 1 season 7 jumped the

shark already. I’ve been into horror since age 12. This is unwatchable. Gratuitous and

gross.” Reddit member stebbibg (2016) responds to fellow commenters’ concerns about

violence stating, “I am glad I am not the only one feeling like that. I am usually cold af


25

watching horror movies/shows and don’t feel anything, but damn I thougt it was difficult

watching this episode.” Comments like these reveal that even those fans that thought that

they were desensitized to horror and violence were appalled at not only the level that the

producers took it to, but also because it is humans who are now the real danger and

causing the violence.

Even further, given the way season six ended with Negan pointing the barbed

wire bat at the group while they were kneeling before him as he was about to choose

which one(s) he was going to beat to death, fans claimed that the premiere’s violence still

crossed the line. The length and detail of it made it disgusting and hard to watch. In the

episode, Negan first chooses Abraham to kill, and it was not a quick death as Negan beat

his head in repeatedly until all that was left on the ground was blood and brains. Reddit

user SFjake, 2016 posts about Negan’s second victim Glenn: “seeing him barely able to

speak with his head caved in and his eye popping out was the most disgusting shit I’ve

ever seen,” to which mcbobboreddit (2016) responds, “I totally, completely, emphatically

agree. I cannot think of a single other episodic show that’s crossed the line. The killing is

par for the course, clearly, but the reveling in it has to be new.” The choice of the word

“revel” to describe the gratuitous use of violence in the killing is particularly vivid

especially when the violence is coming from another human being. To revel in something

is to take pleasure in it and fans thought that was taking the violence too far.

TWD is a fictional series but for these fans, this specific episode went too far and

put the killing of characters that fans have watched grow over seasons front and center.

As Keisner (2008) discusses, the boundary between fantasy and reality for the horror

genre is something that is there for viewers to be able to enjoy the fantasy element while


26

watching the film or show but can potentially shift their own perspective of reality and

what is real. For fans who have grown close to the characters, it as if they have lost a

friend or family member even though in reality, they are not friends or family.

Further, the fan discourse depicts that fans have an acceptable threshold for

violence and will make their voices heard when it pushes past those boundaries as they

have on social media thus far. The series has been on for seven seasons and has had

violence and gore throughout, especially since the very first episode consisted of Rick

shooting a little girl, who had turned into a walker, in the head. As Brickner (2016)

explains, the series is not a happy show and violence is part of it when it furthers the plot,

but when it is violence for the sake of violence, it is not worth it for many fans.

It is important to note that even though the majority of fans on Reddit and Twitter

agreed that the violence was too much to handle, there were a few here and there that

mentioned that the violence was not over the top or horrific. On Reddit, Anklebender91

(2016) states that it “wasn’t brutal enough for me.” This may show that for some viewers,

they remembered that it is just fiction and did not feel as attached to the killed characters

as much as the majority of fans. While these comments were few and far between, it

shows that not all of the fans were disturbed by the level of violence that the producers

created and drew out.

Emotional attachment coupled with violence. As the violence was the main

discussion among fans, some fans also acknowledged that the violence was just part of

the general horror of the episode. Even without the violence, the episode was painful to

watch because they felt an emotional connection with the members of the group,

specifically Glenn. While Abraham was Negan’s first victim, Glenn was his second, as he


27

wanted to teach Darryl a lesson for retaliating after Abraham’s death by executing

another member of the group. Glenn has been in TWD since the first season and many

fans acknowledge that they saw him grow over the seasons and felt like they knew him.

On Reddit, crunchyturtles (2016) responds to a previous poster who says “Maggie

wanted to mourn Glenn by herself but Rick choked out a stutted, ‘he’s our family too.’

Heartbreaker” (whutchamacallit, 2016) and remarks:

Broke my heart cause I felt he was saying that to the audience as well. We've known

Glenn for seven years, watched him grow physically and mentally and emotionally

into a strong lovable person and then... dead. In the most horrific way imaginable.

The fans talk about how it was heartbreaking and how the death was horrific. Another

fan, Tville88 (2016) posts on Reddit, “The dent from the force of the impact defined how

severe the hit was. You knew he was gone in an instant. It'll never be the same without

glenn.” This suggests that the audience felt as if they lost one of their own and the horror

made it that much more difficult to witness. As these comments reveal, because of the

closeness the fans felt with the characters, it became difficult to watch the way that they

were executed and fans turned their frustrations to other fans online.

The executions that the fans witnessed led to their discussion online about how

sad and heartbreaking the moment was when Glenn and Abraham were murdered.

TheLittleCandelaBra (2016) on Reddit states “I didn’t know a TV show could have me

feeling so sad.” Ilbakanp (2016) on Reddit says “That was the most heartbreaking point

for me. I loved Abe, but they barely showed his death. Glenn we saw Every. Single.

Thing. And when he desperately tried to speak to Maggie? Whatever was remaining in

my heart died.” This connection that the fans felt with Glenn made the violence that


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much more difficult to handle. Coming back to Keisner’s (2008) discussion of fantasy

versus reality in the violence and horror genre, it is clear that the emotional attachment

that the audience felt can be connected to this idea.

The acceptable level of violence for fans may have something to do with the real

attachment that they feel towards the characters. This may depict that it is not just the

violence that bothered them, but also, to whom the violence was inflicted upon and can

demonstrate how the episode serves as a societal mirror because, with the rise of violence

in our country over the past few years, people able to have access to real life violence

whether that is videos shared on social media or on the news and affect the way they

view the world.

Therefore, the fantasy and reality line has been blurred. Fan google_results_bot

(2016) discusses a clear example of this emotional connection on Reddit:

I've seen gore and stuff before and It never really phased me because I had no

connection with the person. With Glenn, I knew about everything he's been through

and everything he's about, and to watch someone you've basically known for years

get his skull crushed and turn into a partial vegetable is so much more traumatic

than if it was just anyone else.

This fan discusses the connection that was felt with Glenn and was not the only fan

commenting like this. Even though Glenn is a fictional character and should remain in the

world of fantasy, fans have become emotionally attached and felt as if they have known

him for years, as if he were a friend. This may be in large part because of the paratexts

that TWD has such as TTD that sometimes brings stars from the show to guest star. There

have been occasions where actor Steven Yeun (who plays Glenn on TWD) guest stars and


29

shares his experiences as Glenn to the fans in the audience. Seeing the actor in this

context and then seeing him executed in a horrific manner can make it harder for fans to

separate him from the show. Therefore, the line of fantasy and reality has become blurred

and viewers have become emotionally attached to the characters that have been violently

executed.

Subsequent loss of viewers. TWD lost viewers over the course of season seven,

making season finale the lowest watched episode since the second season (Colon, 2016;

Fowler, 2017). Colon (2016) attributes the loss of viewers to the “savage brutality” of

the premiere and argues that many fans could not handle the amount of violence in the

episode (para. 1). Although the causality cannot be proven, based on the fan commentary,

there may be some correlation.

For example, fans were saying that the scene with Glenn’s eye popping out and

his head dented in was disturbing and may be the reason that they stop watching the

show. As Reddit commenter tinninja (2016) says “That scene really disturbed me, like

'not sure if I want to continue watching this show' disturbed me.” This comment was not

the only one as many fans were discussing the impact that Glenn’s bulging eye had on

their view of the show. Another commenter pixel_light (2016) says “As soon as I saw

that I stopped watching.. first time I'm going to just look up online what happened as it

was just so horrific.” Notice how this commenter connected the scene with Glenn’s eye

to being horrific. It was at this point that the violence became unacceptable for these fans.

Further, on Reddit, CloudEnt (2016) comments “I know this won't be a popular

comment but this episode went too far for me. I'm not sure if I'll keep watching if this is

what they want to do from now on. They tortured people I love.” This fan seems to have


30

built a connection with the characters and seeing them tortured was too much for this fan

to witness. Another fan, BadMeetsEvil24 (2016), called out the showrunners and claims

that the show to replace TWD will be Game of Thrones in his comment on Reddit:

I honestly was completely turned by the finale last season. I read comic spoilers so

I knew it was coming, but the showrunners really fucked it up. I wasn't even looking

forward to the premiere and it really lost a lot of emotional impact for me.

Again, I didnt read the comics but Jeffrey Dean Morgan is doing a pretty good job,

I think. But thus far Negan doesn't seem interesting at all. Like he's just a deranged

sociopath but... that's it? Bleh. That really turned me off the show. And this is

coming from someone who teared up when Glenn fake died.

Ah well. Here's to GoT.

Even though BadMeetsEvil24 (2016) explains that while s/he was not looking

forward to the premiere, the character building of Negan is what ultimately turned

him/her off to the show. While many fans were reacting by claiming that they would stop

watching the series across social media afterwards, viewers went into the premiere with

the understanding that it was not going to be the most pleasant episode given how season

6 ended with the cliffhanger of who of the group was going to be murdered; however, the

premiere felt like “torture porn, Saw style” and it felt different than other deaths on the

show (Eames, 2016, para. 4).

While the deaths felt different than those in the past, the idea that the episode was

filled with “gore porn” or “torture porn” attributes to the acceptable and unacceptable

level of violence/horror. Fan kaylatastikk (2016) on Reddit posts “I'm pretty pissed tbh.

Like, sure game of thrones kills and rapes infants, but never has a scene on that been as


31

blatantly gore porn as this.” As Clover (1987) discusses, the horrific element in this

genre is meant to attract viewers and may be why TWD has been a success over the years,

but, as the fan commentary has demonstrated, the violence of this episode was

unbearable. This shows that there is an unacceptable level of violence and gore even

when exposed to it over seven seasons.

Further, this goes to show that if the impact that the violence and gore had from

episode 7.1 “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” does have a correlation with the

loss of viewership, then the loss of viewers demonstrates that audiences will not tolerate

it when the level of violence crosses their boundaries. The backlash against the violence

expressed in fans’ comments demonstrates that audiences have an active voice in

response to what they are being shown in media; it offers a boundary for what they will

stand for and what they will not. Moreover, it highlights that, as a societal mirror, the fact

that the violence was coming from humans was the most disturbing aspect, demonstrates

that humans pose a real threat when they are the ones shown inflicting the savage

“torture-porn” style violence.

Given today’s climate, the numerous mass shootings that have happened over the

course of the past few weeks, months, and years and the accessibility that people have to

see violence on social media and the news highlight that humans are a real danger in the

world and this episode only mirrored this idea. Understanding how fans reacted to the

violence of the episode gives context into why this episode crossed a line for many

viewers and illuminates how this episode served as a mirror for violence’s represenation

in society and allows to move to a discussion TWD’s participatory fan culture and how it

is part of the ongoing conversation between fans and producers of TWD.


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TWD’s Participatory Fan Culture

As the violence was the most discussed aspect of the episode among fans, this

discussion also furthers the participatory fan culture for TWD that is evident through its

paratexts. One of the most popular and expansive paratexts that TWD has is TTD, as

discussed earlier. This show includes guest stars, occasionally actors from the show, and

encourages a conversation with the fans that occurs after each new episode of TWD.

There are segments that pull in the fan commentary on Twitter and occasionally

Instagram. They also take a question from a fan in the audience and from a fan over the

phone, and spend an hour dissecting the just aired episode. This not only encourages the

conversation among fans and the guest stars, but also extends the length of time that the

viewers are invested in TWD.

Additionally, TTD includes a segment that honors the walkers and any of the

characters that were killed. This segment helps to create a connection to the characters by

honoring their deaths. It is one way to make it seem as if the audience knows the

characters beyond the show. This is furthered when the guest stars are either actors from

TWD or the producers. Fans are able to hear from them directly about the characters or

producers intentions behind the episode. This intimate conversation allows audiences to

become closer to the text and feel as if they are part of the conversation among producers

and actors of the show and engage in the participatory culture surrounding TWD (Jenkins,

2002; Jenkins, 2006)

Producer/Fan conversation. This conversation that occurs on TTD encourages

fans to engage with the guest stars and each other. Because, occasionally, a guest star is a

producer, it is interesting to see what the producers’ motives are behind the creation of


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TWD. Ross (2016) discusses that according to the showrunner, Scott M. Gimple, in terms

of the direction and mechanisms of this premiere, everything that happened was

purposefully done in order to preserve fan experiences with the series. This is because

producers have gone into the series with the frame that no character is safe and everyone

is vulnerable to the new world. The producers expect fans that have watched from the

beginning to understand and acknowledge that. In a way, the violence and loss of the

main characters is done in order to remind the audience of this fact and continue to

emphasize that part of the experience is that the series is unpredictable and anything can

happen.

With that being said, the audience reaction was opposite of what Gimple was

trying to achieve. Reddit commenter Motowilly (2016) responds to gnagflow69 (2016),

who said “Killing a character that has been there from the very first episode seems like a

terrible idea” by arguing “That's kinda a big part of the show though, no one is safe.”

Even with this acknowledgement from the fan, the premiere crossed a line in terms of

violence, and received negative feedback from many fans and critics (Eames, 2016;

Fowler, 2017).

The audience’s negative feedback resulting from this controversial and violent

episode not only facilitates the fan participatory culture and serves as another paratext for

TWD, but also acknowledges that there is a conversation that both fans and producers

engage in. As Kim (2016) states, “the show encourages its viewers to become media

analysts while simultaneously (and inadvertently) revealing the shifting priorities in

consuming commercial television” (p. 1). When viewers become media analysts and

share their opinions about the show through other forms of media, it gives them power to


34

potentially impact the show itself; this is especially true when the producers react and

respond back to the fans as they can on TTD.

For example, Executive Producer, Gayle Anne Hurd, reacted to the controversy

the fans created regarding the level of violence in episode 7.1 at a panel discussing

television violence and stated that the producers read what fans had to say about the

episode and understood that the level of violence crossed the line (Millican, 2017). She

then stated that for episodes that they were still filming in terms of the violence, “we did

tone it down” (Millican, 2017). As Segado, Grandio, and Fernandez-Gomez (2015)

discuss, the audience uses the Internet to express their opinions and beliefs of the show

and helps to not only promote the show, but also provide feedback.

This feedback shows that there is an ongoing conversation with fans and

producers. It is noteworthy to understand that while many researchers such as Jenkins and

Booth have found over the course of their research that audiences have power, this

episode shows that there is an ongoing conversation between fans and producers to help

shape and mold what media is becoming. In this next section, I first discuss the relatively

few fans that did not condemn the violence, but instead related the violence to the

creative goals (or lack thereof).

Fan engagement with the premiere. As there has been conversation among fans

and producers regarding the level of violence after the episode, fans were also critiquing

the episode in terms of its reliance on cliffhangers and its creativity. This can be evident

with the way season six ended leaving fans wondering who was going to be murdered.

Bill_b4 (2016) on Reddit comments:

Unbelievable and unrealistic melodrama. The plot is only written to keep the


35

viewers tuning in episode after episode with cliff-hangers and thirst for revenge. Of

course everyone is going to watch this season to see the group get their revenge...but

we've been here before. This was done over once already with The Governor.

Negan is just Governor 2.0. It's not really about the zombies or survival...or even

progressing the story toward some type of equilibrium or message or cure...it's just

rehashed plot devices to keep people tuning in episode after episode. Truthfully...I

have better things to do with my time…At this point its just whatever it takes to

continue to feed the viewership machine...it's hardly even a show about zombies

anymore - the zombies are just scenic backdrop.

This fan is pointing out that the show is utilizing cliffhangers to emphasize that it seems

as though all the producers care about is the viewership and are not putting in any more

creative thought. He feels as though they are reusing old plot lines, such as his analogy of

Negan to the Governor (the villain in season three). He also points out that the show

focuses more on what it takes to keep viewers from tuning in instead of focusing on the

threat that the zombies pose. Mai_tais_and_yahtzee (2016) agrees and says on Reddit

“the plot is only written to keep the viewers tuning in episode after episode.” As Bricken

(2016) discussed, when the violence is used to further the plot and narrative, it is

acceptable, but when it is just there to aid viewership, it becomes gratuitous.

Fans have also compared the episode to the comic and claim that the comic is

much better than the show, specifically this episode because there was not a cliffhanger.

Fans are claiming that they did not like the episode primarily because they had to wait for

the pay off until the start of a new season. For example, fan Allstarcappa (2016) states on

Reddit: “I enjoyed the show way more in the comic then in the show.” Another fan,


36

Worthyness (2016) states:

It was better in the comics because it came right at the end of the issue. It was an

immediate pay off for the tension that was building. We had to wait a whole season

before we got the impact in the TV show, so it doesn't quite hit you until they do it

as a ‘surprise!’”

While this was the case for some of the fans, others were happy that the episode

stayed so close to the comics in the sense of the gore that was provided in the comics.

One of the scenes, in both the comic and the episode, Negan beats Glenn over the head

with Lucille (the bat) and Glenn’s eye bulges out of his head with blood dripping down

his face as he tries to speak his last words to his wife, Maggie. A fan, acaseyb (2016),

comments on Reddit and says “I was quite shocked that they kept it so close, including

the eye. I thought it was important in the comics (and the eye thing really

impacted/bothered me), but I never thought AMC would pull it off that well.” This fan

gives credit to AMC for pulling off the scene on television, but acknowledges that it did

bother them.

This demonstrates that fans anticipated the gore and violence, especially with the

frame that the producers have set up from the beginning, but seeing it on television versus

a still in a comic was too much to handle. Further, it demonstrates that there is an

ongoing dialogue among fans and critics and fans are questioning the motives and

creative ability of the producers while still acknowledging that the violence was very

different in the episode versus the comics. Therefore, this project has demonstrated that a

deeper focus on the discourse about violence from the fans goes beyond recognizing that

the violence crossed the line, and instead creates rules about acceptable and unacceptable


37

violence.

Final Thoughts

This project’s purpose was to critically analyze the fan commentary surrounding

TWD’s episode 7.1 “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” to demonstrate how

paratexts help to facilitate audience’s participatory culture and what audience’s

acceptable level of violence and horror is in media. With a theoretical framework of

paratexts, fandons, and violence/horror, the project illuminated viewers’ understanding of

what is acceptable and unacceptable violence in media through their use of paratexts such

as fandoms.

Additionally, it capitalized on the research about fans’ concepts of fantasy and

reality and what it means when fans become too attached to characters that are then

brutally executed. Ultimately, the episode demonstrated that when violence is coming

from humans in the series, it mirrors society in that violence’s representation in our world

tends to come from other humans and it is at this point that the violence in the media

becomes unacceptable for viewers.

Limitations and Future Directions

While this project focuses on audience commentary after the season seven

premiere of TWD, it would be interesting to apply this to other series such as Game of

Thrones or Into the Badlands to see what fans are saying about those shows as well or if

it only applies to the TWD fan base. Additionally, it would be beneficial to interview fans

individually to see if what they are saying online is consistent in face-to-face

communication. The interviews may provide a more inclusive understanding of what fans


38

are saying in regards to the violence in the media and be able to determine if it is

consistent with the fans’ online voice.

It would also be interesting to take this unit of analysis, specifically using

paratexts, and apply it to the idea that with the rise of technology, humans are becoming

more like walkers in terms of the current social media climate. This would be interesting

to take a postmodernism perspective as well and look at TWD through that lens along

with paratexts. This may be useful to continue to flesh out the idea that TWD is a societal

mirror on many different levels other than the takeaway from this project that humans are

now the real monsters who inflict the violence not only in the TWD world but also in

society.

As all of this is beyond the scope of this project, the themes discussed were not

able to touch on any of these topics and may prove to be beneficial to the current

scholarship surrounding those topics in a different critical analysis.

Implications

For this project, the purpose was to explore the fan reaction following the season

seven premiere and how it demonstrated the audiences grappling with a level of violence

previously unseen on the series, and one that turned many viewers off for good. Further,

when fans feel an emotional connection to characters that are then brutally executed by

other humans, it makes the violence inflicted upon them more difficult to watch. The

analysis also demonstrated that because the violence was coming from humans, it may be

read as a societal mirror reflecting the fact that humans are inflicting violence.

Further, this project allowed for an understanding of the role of audiences in the

contemporary age of television. It demonstrated that fans become attached to fictional


39

characters and will speak up when a popular show, such as TWD, crosses a line in terms

of violence for many loyal fans. It also shed light on the ongoing conversation that

producers and fans are having by explaining the steps producers took based on the

negative feedback received from the audience. This integrated communication between

television producers and fans on other forms of media facilitates and understanding of

what it means to be a fan in the current age of television.

Therefore, the fans’ reaction implied, not only that TWD crossed a line and that

there is a conversation between producers and fans, but also, that viewers were going to

stop watching if this level of violence and gore continued. While that cannot be proven to

be the cause of the decline in viewership, it is important to note that fans were stating that

because the violence and gore was unacceptable, they would stop watching and because

of that conversation, producers did acknowledge it and lower the violence level in future

episodes. This communication phenomenon shows that audience members will speak up

when a series known for its violence crosses a line and will turn to social media to voice

those frustrations. Additionally, the project showed that, as a societal mirror, the episode

highlighted that humans pose real danger in the world and are capable of inflicting

violence on each other, and this is the real horror.


40

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